A Russian Herbal: Traditional Remedies for Health and Healing (Paperback)

~ Igor Vilevich Zevin (Author), Nathaniel Altman (Contributor), Lilia Vasilevna Zevin (Contributor) "The healing properties of medicinal plants have been recognized since the beginnings of human civilization..." (more)
Key Phrases: part buckbean, water banya, diuretic recipe, Russian Materia Medica, North America, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The entries are also unusually detailed as to the exact methods of preparation as well as the parts of the plant that should be used. Potential dangers and other contraindications for use are clearly set out from the text in bold-faced type - a feature that I'd like to see copied in more herbals! Zeven with his co-authors, Nathaniel Altman and Lilia Vasilevna Zevin, have ceated a highly interesting and unusual herbal, detailing a tradition that we don't hear about enough."
(Rosemary Jones, owner of Healing Pages Bookstore )

Product Description

The first guide to the ancient traditions of Russian herbal medicine and their extensive medicinal applications today.

Drawing on a wealth of oral and written traditions, the authors examine the best-known Russian herbs (all of which are widely available in North America and Western Europe) and explain their folkways, properties, and uses. Offering time-tested advice for using herbs to maintain general well-being, they also give clear and simple recipes for treating specific health problems from asthma and migraines to influenza and high blood pressure. Blessed with a wide variety of climates, geography, and flora, early Russians developed a rich folk tradition of herbal healing that ranks among the most sophisticated in the world. Nearly every Russian medical school offers courses of study on the knowledge and application of herbs, and many maintain a special research department that investigates the properties and practical modern applications of herbal medicine. 

This is the first book to examine the traditions of Russian herbal medicine. 

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Healing Arts Press (February 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892815493
• ISBN-13: 978-0892815494
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,006,561 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very Useful Resource, May 31, 2009

By	uncletwinkie (CA USA) - See all my reviews

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I'm sorry I don't have time to review this book in depth, but seeing that it hasn't gotten any reviews yet, I want to recommend it as a very well put-together herbal, with good introductory chapters (one of which includes the use of the "water banya" in the Russian preparation of medicinal herbs, and how to make one), and an extensive materia medica. Most of the herbs listed are quite familiar, and some include pertinent folklore. The materia medica is followed by "Complex Herbal Formulas" relating to the various organ systems.
The fact that it is a Russian herbal does not, by any means, make it obscure. (I only wish that, beneath the Latin name given for each herb, a translation of its Russian name were given.) I highly recommend it to anyone interested in herbalism.